Pathological Conditions - Neuro Flashcards
What is Aphasia?
Language disability caused by a brain injury
What does aphasia cause?
Difficulty speaking, difficulty understanding, difficulty reading and difficulty writing
What is the difference between aphasia and dysphasia?
They are the same thing!
In most cases, what side of the brain is Broca’s area?
Left
What is Broca’s area responsible for?
Speech production
What is Wernicke’s area responsible for?
Word recognition
What are the 6 types of aphasia/dysphasia?
Global
Expressive/Broca’s
Fluent/receptive/Wernicke’s
Mixed/non-fluent
Anomic
Primary Progressive (PPA)
What is global aphasia?
Most severe form
Indicated damage to multiple areas of the brain (injury, tumour etc) Cognitive function preserved but significant loss of language and comprehension
Can, however, communicate and/or recognise communication
What is expressive/Broca’s aphasia?
Severely reduced language
Sentences of 3-4 words
Can usually understand what is being spoken
*Brain tumour patients often present with
What is fluent/receptive/Wernicke’s aphasia?
Loss of language comprehensibility
Can form sentences but will often not make sense (patient thinks they are making sense)
What is fluent/receptive/Wernicke’s aphasia?
Similar to Broca’s but comprehension is impacted
What is anomic aphasia?
Inability to find words person wants to say, often significant verbs or nouns
What is primary progressive aphasia (PPA)?
A progressive and gradual deterioration of language and comprehension (degenerative brain disease – dementia or Alzheimer’s)
What does TIA stand for?
Transient Ischaemic Attack
What is a Transient Ischaemic Attack?
‘mini stroke’ - temporary blockage
What does CVA stand for?
Cerebral Vascular Accident
What is a Cerebral Vascular Accident?
‘major stroke’
What is a Hemorrhagic stroke?
Hemorrhage/blood leaks into brain tissue
What is a Ischemic stroke?
Clot stops blood supply to an area of the brain
What is concussion?
A traumatic brain injury that changes the way your brain functions
What is profound delirium?
Caused by i.e., drugs, alcohol, dehydration, fever, hypercalcemia, brain tumour
What is Alzheimer’s a type of?
Dementia
What sample can you obtain from a lumbar puncture?
Gives a SCF sample – viral and bacterial meningitis
Higher than L2/L3
What is hydrocephalus?
Blockage in 3rd-4th ventricles e.g., tumour resulting in build up of CSF
What is chronic hydrocephalus?
Change shape of skull due to increase volume of brain (SCF volume increased) > paediatrics and adults
What is the majority of the CSF produced by?
Choroid plexus
What is an angiogram?
Circle of Willis – supplied by the left and right vertebral arteries – converge to form basilar artery and the left and right internal carotid.
What is Cerebral Edema?
Narrow sulci, flat gyri
What is the blood brain barrier?
Astrocyte foot processes surround blood vessel – affect the permeability of the cells, preventing large molecules from leaving and protect brain from pathogens. Difficult to get chemotherapy agents through this barrier when treating a brain tumour – becomes less effective.
What is nerve block used for?
Tooth extraction
Epidural
Chronic pain caused by cancer metastases
What is bacterial meningitis?
Infection of the meninges
What is multiple sclerosis?
Myelin insulation that coats nerve cells, damages by the autoimmune system attacks the olidendryties
Autoimmune disease
What is paraplegia?
Damage to lower part of the body - thoracic/lumbar
What is tetraplegia (Quadriplegia)?
Loss of movement and sensation to all four limbs
What is hemiplegia?
Arm and leg on one side
What is Papilloedema?
Dilation of blood vessels – raised intercranial pressure
What is proptosis?
Bulging of the eye – e.g., rhabdomyosarcoma (paediatrics – muscle that controls the eye)
What is ptosis?
Eyelid droops – compression of the sympathetic nerve
What is Left Field Homonymous Hemianopia?
Homonymous hemianopia (also called hemianopsia) means that the patient cannot see anything in the entire left or right visual field in both eyes - Damage to the optic chiasm
What is Bitemporal hemianopsia?
A type of partial blindness that is associated with lesions of the optic chiasm, the area where the optic nerves from the right and left eyes cross near the pituitary gland.
What is nystagmus?
What does epilepsy cause?
Seizures
What causes Acoustic neuroma?
Vestibular nerve – cranial nerve 7
What are Glomus jugulare tumours?
